Summary The 2017 Gordon Research Conference on Catecholamines will take place at Sunday River in Newry, ME in August 2017. This small conference, held every other year, is an ideal forum for exploring new developments in the field of catecholamines. It is also an excellent opportunity for junior investigators and trainees to interact with established investigators in a relaxed atmosphere. The evaluations of recent conferences highlight the strong impact this meeting typically has on emerging as well as established scientists. As the funds allocated by the Gordon Conference organization are limited, we are requesting funding from other sources. We are hoping that the results of our requests enable us to support speakers and discussion leaders as well as junior investigators to participate in the meeting. The conference includes two plenary talks, by Dr. Marina Wolf and Dr. Amy Arnsten. The preliminary program includes a large number of junior scientists and women, and the sessions planned include: 1) Substance Abuse, 2) Neurophysiology and Neurotransmission, 3) Neurodegeneration, 4) Cognition, 5) Stress/Affective Disorders, 6) Circuits and Molecules, and 7) Learning and Motivation. The themes covered in the 2017 Gordon Conference on Catecholamines are highly relevant to understanding the neurobiological bases of drug addiction as well as neurological diseases of aging and neuropsychiatric disorders. This forum will provide a unique opportunity to discuss recent advances in the understanding of how catecholamine systems may contribute to the pathophysiology and treatment of those conditions. The fact that a large proportion of the participants are junior investigators and a significant number will be graduate students and postdocs ensure that this conference may have an impact on how future generations of neuroscientists view these issues.